1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the general field of connecting multiple cattle/horse panels together safely and, more particularly, to such panels that include an apparatus for connecting up to four cattle/horse panels together safely without using a separate special connector or post.
2. Background of the Art
Farm and ranching animals, such as cattle and horses, are often contained in an area by gates or panels that may be either temporary or semi-permanent in style and function. The panels are typically rectangular in structure and have a plurality of horizontal cross bars. The individual panels may be supported by a base member located on the bottom of a vertical post of the panels, allowing the base member to function as a brace to hold the panels upright. The rectangular structure of the panels having the horizontal cross bars for barring animal movement and the base members used for additional stability allow multiple panels to be positioned together and connected so as to form an enclosure to contain cattle or horses.
There are several types of connectors known in that art that have been used to connect the panels together in order to form a barrier for cattle or horses. One technique uses a flexible chain that may be attached by either using a hooking mechanism or welding one end of the chain to one of the panels; the opposite end of the chain is then attached by a hooking mechanism to the other panel(s) in order to hold the panels together. This method often proves difficult for one person to use while attaching panels alone and further may be difficult to use when trying to attach more than two panels to each other. The use of a chain is also problematic due to the extra movement allowed between the panels. When a chain is used as a method of connection the panels may slide around and shift due to the ability of the connector to hold them in position, thus creating a pen that is not able to withstand the forces exerted by the cattle and horses and thus may potentially cause a hoof or leg of an animal to become caught or trapped between shifting panels.
Other connectors use a pin-chain combination in which the chain fastens to a drop pin thus allowing the pin to be easily inserted and removed while not risking dropping or fumbling of the pin. Another connecting mechanisms currently uses a pin system. Both the pin-chain combination and the pin system are impossible to connect three or four panels together by using the connector that is attached to the panel. The user is forced to buy an adapter, use bailing wire, or buy an extra post to allow for the extra connections.
Another form of connecting mechanism claims the ability to connect the panels together on virtually any terrain however, the standard connection only allows hooking one or two male connectors to one female connector and it is foreseeable that varying terrains would make a female-male connection difficult due to the potential uneven surfaces or angles the panels might adjust to. Three-way and four-way corral adapters are available for hooking two female connectors to one male or two female connectors to two male. The use of connectors using a female-male connecting system is again more difficult for one person to use and the necessity of having a special adapter creates connecting problems when the need for a three-way or four-way connection is not anticipated prior to use.
In this way it is desirable that the panels be easily connected, including potentially being connected in multiple connections as well as forming connections on uneven ground, and that the connected panels be strong enough to withstand the pressure and force exerted by the contained animals.